If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Honestly, I don't really track my calorie intake, as a guess probably around 2,000 plus, I just make sure I get a fair but of carbs and protein in. I didn't actually realise it was that much volume, but I guess now looking it at it again there is a fair bit.

Yeah as I said above... it takes a lot of eating and intensity in training to make big progress, and it has to be consistent. The next big thing is sleep. Better and more sleep is key

Sounds good man. As most good lifters know, you gotta do what works for you. Stiff legs have always been a staple for me. There are a number of ways to do them so the percentages are tough, but I'd certainly start lighter like in the 40-50% range. I'd recommend in the beginning 3-4 weeks of sets of 10s, then a phase of 8's then 6's... maybe 4's if you see fit. I like 10-8-6 and never really get down lower than that. I use them as my Lighter day and do them after squatting. I find that this compliments the heavy deadlifting well in that I recover faster by working the back more frequently and I respond to the heavier training better--especially at the end when I peak and the deals are heavy. The buildup of SLDLs causes a good response to the peak and without them I'd likely start getting strains as the weights rose.

In an accumulation or strength phase they can also be done more than once in a week. But basically to progress them I always just add 10-20 lbs from one session to the next for the top work set. Never get carried away with these remember why you are doing them--muscle mass and strength from the added workload and frequency of pulling they bring to the program

Many thanks!

My current program has me start out at 68% and at the end of the training cycle at 80% or so. It's sets of 3 until the last 3 weeks it drops down to doubles. For me personally, my posterior chain gives out with heavier reps so I figure I'd stick with this programming. I also switched to Romanian DL's as they really hammer my glutes/hams better than stiff legs.

Should I possibly add some lighter drop sets for higher reps?

Originally Posted by BOSS

This is always a key element. Not just eating enough and taking in enough protein, but doing it throughout the day and doing it consistently day in and day out. Intensity is critical but so is consistency. Anybody can be a tough guy or badass for a workout or two, but can you also back it up with the force feeding that you'll ultimately have to be doing as well. And then continue to do it for years... But that's what you're recognizing with that comment. Can't just stunt on instagram lol, gotta be dedicated to make progress and for a long time for it to really impress

I agree 100%! Drinking enough water, eating all throughout the day and getting in 7-8 hours a night is the toughest part. Training is easy!

Everything here seems ok as far as a program for gaining strength, but I'd guess that if your goal is gaining muscle mass and bodyweight that this might be a little too much training. I like the frequency, but it can be hard to sustain. I tend to gain strength and size best when I remove some of the training volume and frequency after periods of high training frequency and volume such as what you laid out

Just make sure you eat enough and keep the program in line with your goals

Hey Dan,

Thanks for the reply. Yeah sorry the program is structured primarily for gaining strength as that is my end goal, the accessory exercises are there more for personal preference as I like to do the odd bodybuilding stuff. I will admit though that there is a fair amount of volume involved (more than I thought). Do you suggest reducing the volume in the case of the bodybuilding stuff and adding in a deload week to balance out the periods of the high training frequency etc.?

My current program has me start out at 68% and at the end of the training cycle at 80% or so. It's sets of 3 until the last 3 weeks it drops down to doubles. For me personally, my posterior chain gives out with heavier reps so I figure I'd stick with this programming. I also switched to Romanian DL's as they really hammer my glutes/hams better than stiff legs.

Should I possibly add some lighter drop sets for higher reps?

I agree 100%! Drinking enough water, eating all throughout the day and getting in 7-8 hours a night is the toughest part. Training is easy!

For the stiff leg deads, I started doing them as sets of 10 from a 4" deficit. I believe initially these were at 40-50% which I HIGHLY recommend. The program was from ELITEFTS, an old program I think titled Finnish Deadlifting.... or something like that. These have been a staple of mine ever since.

Thanks for the reply. Yeah sorry the program is structured primarily for gaining strength as that is my end goal, the accessory exercises are there more for personal preference as I like to do the odd bodybuilding stuff. I will admit though that there is a fair amount of volume involved (more than I thought). Do you suggest reducing the volume in the case of the bodybuilding stuff and adding in a deload week to balance out the periods of the high training frequency etc.?

And I agree with the eating enough point.

Thanks,

Will

I'm personally not a big fan of deload weeks, it kinda says you're training too sloppy. Too many reps with compromised form really, or your recovery isn't being prioritized--read: eating, sleeping. I wouldn't reduce the bodybuilding stuff. Being able to pump up is important I think. It should help more than hurt. Especially if the BB exercises are ones you like since that probably implies that those are ones where you've figured out how to make those exercises work well for you and that's such a big key. If you can figure out which of the main strength exercises you can make work for you, then focus on mastering those exercises and they will work for you for a long time. Don't worry about doing all the variations, just the 4-5 or so that you have a good feel for and a good sense that they're helping you get strong. An exercise on paper can be done many different ways by different people. For example, when I do paused deadlifts, I understand the context for them so I utilize them for massive gains in muscle mass. I use them for hypertrophy, not power, so I know the key is time under tension. And I understand the additional bodybuilding tenet that a stretched muscle will grow the most, so when I pause, I allow my back to gradually stretch and I never rush the 3 second count--time under tension in the stretch position--builds a ton of mass! But if you think they're for something else, you might just focus on being powerful, or being too tight in the pause, or rushing and not appreciating the time under tension factor. Like I said, you need to master the exercises and make them make you strong. And trust me there are plenty of exercises that I can't get a good feel for so I just move on...

For the stiff leg deads, I started doing them as sets of 10 from a 4" deficit. I believe initially these were at 40-50% which I HIGHLY recommend. The program was from ELITEFTS, an old program I think titled Finnish Deadlifting.... or something like that. These have been a staple of mine ever since.

LOL! Sounds absolutely awful but doable. I've got 3" of mats setup with with screws in them to hold em all together, I'll use that for sure!

I hit the heavier RDL's on Mondays and hit higher rep/lighter weight RDL's on Saturdays after Squats. What percentage range/rep range would you recommend for an 8 week period? My training cycles are 9 weeks and the 9th week is for setting PR's or I just start a new training cycle and slightly increase my training maxes; just to give you an idea how I structure things.

LOL! Sounds absolutely awful but doable. I've got 3" of mats setup with with screws in them to hold em all together, I'll use that for sure!

I hit the heavier RDL's on Mondays and hit higher rep/lighter weight RDL's on Saturdays after Squats. What percentage range/rep range would you recommend for an 8 week period? My training cycles are 9 weeks and the 9th week is for setting PR's or I just start a new training cycle and slightly increase my training maxes; just to give you an idea how I structure things.

I don't do them based on percent just always 3-5 sets up to a top set (depending on the number of warmups) and I don't do a light/heavy just stick to a certain rep range. I'd recommend first month sets of 8 then second month sets of 6. Twice a week is great, you'll see really good progress

I don't do them based on percent just always 3-5 sets up to a top set (depending on the number of warmups) and I don't do a light/heavy just stick to a certain rep range. I'd recommend first month sets of 8 then second month sets of 6. Twice a week is great, you'll see really good progress

Okay, thanks! Should I hit both days from a deficit or one day from the floor then the other from a deficit?

I figure I can go a bit heavier from the floor and get a better stretch with lighter weights from a deficit.

Thanks again for the awesome opportunity yesterday man. You and your wife were both great to meet.

Must have been an awesome experience man, I'm jealous! Wish I woulda done a 1 on 1 AND the seminar bc was so great.

The NC seminar last weekend was great Boss, I had a great time thanks to you and Sparkle for the experience! I unfortunately couldn't do any lifting as I have a pretty seriously strained psoas (takes a long time to warm up nowadays) that affects pretty much every lift in one way or another, but the knowledge I gained was incredible. I started implementing your programming, and paid super close attention to the corrections you made on other peoples lifting to apply to myself and it's been great so far.
Your knowledge on programming and your corrections of people's technique were pretty mind-blowing, obviously we know that you know your stuff but to see it in action is inspiring... Do you have any books/articles you would reccomend reading on programming and technique?

Must have been an awesome experience man, I'm jealous! Wish I woulda done a 1 on 1 AND the seminar bc was so great.

It was awesome for sure. Every lift now I'm trying to think about the advice I was given and it's working well. I really wanted to come to the seminar as well (and even got crap from Sparkle for not, lol) but it just would have been a nightmare with the 2 boys and 3 hour drive each way.

"Who really likes or enjoys high rep leg days? If you are dreading it, that's normal. But if you don't do it because you dread it, then you are being a pussy" - Vinny G

"I think I must be overtraining"... no, you're just a pussy - Machine

"My instinct is to win; eliminate my competition, destroy my enemy, and move on without any hesitation at all" - Arnold

Okay, thanks! Should I hit both days from a deficit or one day from the floor then the other from a deficit?

I figure I can go a bit heavier from the floor and get a better stretch with lighter weights from a deficit.

This program is more of a heavy/light both days from deficit, but the way you described it is a pretty obvious choice too. It's more conjugated whereas the recommended one is phasic: first deficits then later a heavier phase both days from floor

As far as the other Question I do like to rep to max reps kinda like Dorian...It's pretty powerful stuff I just do NOT encourage going to failure either in missing reps or in form breakdowns as this isn't productive for strength. I'm usually able to maintain my form to the end so I can grind pretty hard, but I do have to check myself... It hurt me on bench (not as in injuries but in stalled progress)

As far as how to progress there's a million ways... add weight, add reps, add sets, decrease time (density)... okay there are at least 4 ways

What would you recommend to relieve SI joint pain beside stretching psoas and glutes ? Cant squat or deadlift right now..... Thanks a lot Boss that would help immensely

That can definitely suck. See a chiro if you can. Rest. Avoid deep squats or whatever aggravates it and use alternatives that don't like maybe a hack squat with a narrow stance... You'll have to figure out what allows you to train around it. Maybe sumo instead of conv or vice versa

Must have been an awesome experience man, I'm jealous! Wish I woulda done a 1 on 1 AND the seminar bc was so great.

The NC seminar last weekend was great Boss, I had a great time thanks to you and Sparkle for the experience! I unfortunately couldn't do any lifting as I have a pretty seriously strained psoas (takes a long time to warm up nowadays) that affects pretty much every lift in one way or another, but the knowledge I gained was incredible. I started implementing your programming, and paid super close attention to the corrections you made on other peoples lifting to apply to myself and it's been great so far.
Your knowledge on programming and your corrections of people's technique were pretty mind-blowing, obviously we know that you know your stuff but to see it in action is inspiring... Do you have any books/articles you would reccomend reading on programming and technique?

For a book I'd recommend Josh Bryant's Built to the Hilt.

For technique I like that seminar format so the differences for different people help to illustrate good forms that are different, but fundamental mistakes can be addressed and separated from correct idiosyncracies